Every year, around 3 lakh candidates appear for CAT, but only 20 - 25% (approximately 60,000 -75,000) come from an Arts and Commerce background. Out of these non-engineers, fewer than 500 candidates score 99+ percentile, about 1000 - 1200+ reach the 95+ percentile
Despite the smaller number of candidates, many old and new IIMs actively reserve the seats and give diversity points to non-engineers. Approximately 5500 students are admitted to all 21 IIMs combined each year.
Since the CAT 2025 is just a week away, last-minute preparation must shift toward accuracy, structured revision, and 2-3 mocks per week, rather than attempting to learn every Quant topic.
This article shares practical last-minute preparation tips specifically designed for art and commerce background students targeting CAT 2025.
Also Read
- Check CAT 2025 Score Vs Percentile (Expected)
- How many questions to attempt in CAT for 90 percentile?
Avoid learning New CAT Concepts at the Last Minute
The biggest mistake non-engineering students make in the final week is to try learning new topics like geometry or permutations and combinations, because they may not have time to finish the syllabus.
The reality is you need to:
- Target for 95+ percentile: 8-10 correct answers in Quant
- Time remaining: Less than 1 week
- Focus: Accuracy over coverage
Strategic Approach Table
- Focus on Arithmetic + familiar topics, revise formulas, and aim for 90%+ accuracy.
- Use mocks and error logs to improve speed and reduce repeated mistakes.
Check: Last Month Strategy for CAT 2025 Section-wise Preparation Tips
| DO THIS | DON'T DO THIS |
|---|---|
| Focus on Arithmetic (your strongest area) | Try learning Geometry from scratch |
| Practice topics you're already comfortable with | Attempt Permutations & Combinations if weak |
| Revise formulas and shortcuts you know | Watch new concept videos/tutorials |
| Solve previous year questions in familiar topics | Practice entirely new question types |
| Work on improving accuracy to 90%+ | Rush through new chapters to "complete syllabus" |
| Time yourself on mock tests | Spend hours understanding one new concept |
| Review your error log from past mocks | Study topics you've consistently struggled with |
Also Read: CAT 2025 vs CAT 2024
Topic Prioritisation Framework
For Strong Topics (70%+ accuracy)
- Practice daily to maintain speed and consistency.
- Use PYQs to keep accuracy stable and avoid careless errors.
For Moderate Topics (50-70% accuracy)
- Do selective practice of easy–medium level questions.
- Focus on accuracy instead of attempting every question type.
For Weak Topics (<50% accuracy)
- Skip these entirely during the exam.
- Don’t allocate revision time beyond a quick formula refresh.
Read: CAT 2025 Mock Test Strategy
Section-Wise CAT 2025 Tips Non-Engineers Must Follow in the Final Week
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
As CAT 2025 approaches, VARC continues to be the strongest section for most Arts and Commerce candidates, with mock-test data showing a 10-15% higher accuracy compared to QA.
- Stop solving random RCs now, but start analysing your mock test results. Where did you go wrong? Is it because you didn’t understand the passage or because the options were tricky?
- Don’t learn any new words at this time, but focus on revising 200 - 250 high-frequency words.
Read: How to Manage Sectional Time in CAT 2025
| Focus Topic | Task | Quick Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Reading speed, Comprehension and Accuracy | Read 4 - 5 RC Passages from previous CAT papers | Try to increase the reading speed to 280 - 300 wpm.Focus on the main idea and tone questions. |
| Para summary and Odd sentence | Solve 30 - 40 questions taken from any CAT materials | Use your logical thinking from your economics/literature. |
| Para Jumbles | 40 - 50 PJ questions - Learn the “mandatory pair trick” | Treat it like arranging a story or a plot |
| Vocabulary | Revise 200 - 250 high-frequency CAT words and 50 Root words | Don’t learn new words; try to revise what you already know. |
| Full VARC Section Mock | Solve 1 complete VARC section | Attempt 18 - 20 questions with 90% accuracy |
Check out: VARC Last-Minute Mock Test for CAT 2025
CAT 2024 Question Paper with Solutions PDF (VARC)
| CAT Previous Year Question Paper (2024) | Question Paper PDF | Solution PDF |
|---|---|---|
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Solutions (Slot 1) – VARC | Download PDF | Click Here |
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Solutions (Slot 2) – VARC | Download PDF | Click Here |
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Solutions (Slot 3) – VARC | Download PDF | Click Here |
Data Interpretation and Logic Reasoning
Recent analysis of DILR mocks across 2023-2024 shows that accuracy in this section fluctuates the most for non-engineering candidates, with a 20-30% gap between easy and difficult sets. Since CAT 2025 is nearing, the final weeks must prioritise set selection over volume.
- For Arts and Commerce students who often have strong reasoning, identifying the easiest 1-2 sets early can increase overall accuracy.
- Solve 8 - 10 direct tables, missing values and percentage changes and solve arrangement based questions daily.
| Focus Area | Task | Quick Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Revise your 5 - 6 strongest sets | Solve your best 5 - 6 sets from past mocks | Build confidence by solving your best sets that you already solved |
| Try to pick easy sets | Pick 5 easy sets out of 8 sets and solve fully | Skip the ones with heavy calculations |
| Arrangements and Venn diagram | Solve 8 - 10 sets which contain linear, circular, distribution and Venn. | Use your logical skills and treat it like solving puzzles. |
| Table + Bar/Line graphs | Solve 8 - 10 sets with direct tables, missing values and percentage changes | For commerce students, use this to your advantage |
| Full DILR Mock | Take 1 complete DILR section mock and aim for 5 - 6 correct sets | Try to solve with 95+ percent accuracy. |
Check out: Last-minute DILR Mock Test for CAT 2025
CAT 2024 Question Paper with Solutions PDF (DILR)
| CAT Previous Year Question Paper (2024) | Question Paper PDF | Solution PDF |
|---|---|---|
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Solutions (Slot 1) – DILR | Download PDF | Click Here |
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Solutions (Slot 2) – DILR | Download PDF | Click Here |
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Solutions (Slot 3) – DILR | Download PDF | Click Here |
Quantitative Aptitude
Mock test trends from 2021-2024 show that non-engineering candidates score 18-22% lower in QA compared to VARC, mainly because of weaker foundations in Algebra and Geometry.
With less than a month left for CAT 2025, the focus must shift entirely to high-impact Arithmetic topics, which alone contribute 8-9 questions every year.
| Focus Topic | Task | Quick Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic - All Important topics | Solve 60 - 70 Questions from the previous year’s CAT papers | Solve for the Highest accuracy. Go for Quality over quantity |
| Algebra - Linear/quadratic | 50 - 60 questions, and if you have time, solve AM and GM | Just learn 4 - 5 standard equation types. That is enough for CAT |
| Number System + Remainders | Solve 40 - 50 questions (factors, HCF-LCM, cyclicity) | Treat it like a puzzle and solve it directly |
| Permutation - Combination + Probability | 30 - 35 easy medium questions only | Do the only ones with direct formulas and skip the heavy counting. |
| Full QA section Mocks | Try to solve 22 questions within 40 minutes with an accuracy of 12 - 15 correct answers | Attempt the familiar and easier ones at first. |
Check Out: Last-Minute QA Mock Tests for CAT 2025
CAT 2024 Question Paper with Solutions PDF (QA)
| CAT Previous Year Question Paper (2024) | Question Paper PDF | Solution PDF |
|---|---|---|
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Solutions (Slot 1) – QA | Download PDF | Click Here |
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Solutions (Slot 2) – QA | Download PDF | Click Here |
| CAT 2024 Question Paper with Solutions (Slot 3) – QA | Download PDF | Click Here |
Watch the inspiring journey of a non-engineer who cracked CAT and made it to IIM Calcutta, featuring Guntas Singh.
The Last Week Schedule for CAT 2025 Preparation
Last 7 days, CAT preparation is important because this is your last chance to review the topics you have already studied, preventing you from forgetting the crucial information and formulas.
Here is last week's schedule you can follow to boost your preparation as well as your confidence.
| Time | Activity | Focus |
| Morning (2 Hours) | VARC Section | Solve 2 RCs + 5 verbal ability questions.Focus on maintaining focus for at least 50 minutes |
| Afternoon ( 2 Hours) | Quant Revision | Open your formula book and revise arithmetic formulas and “Mental Math” tricks |
| Evening (1.5 Hours) | DILR | Use the previous year's CAT papers or mock tests and try to identify the easy sets in DI, and try to solve the sets and analyse where you did go wrong/right while selecting the set. |
| The rest of the time | Mock tests | Take mock tests as much as you can daily. Taking mock tests is compulsory.Also, make sure bad marks just before the exam don’t affect your confidence. |
So, in these stressful times, remember to unwind and get enough sleep. Taking time to relax is important while preparing for the CAT exam. Relaxation helps manage stress, prevent burnout and improve concentration. If you follow these CAT 2025 Preparation Tips, then you will get a call from IIM even if you are not from an engineering background.
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